The D5 Five: Why Some People Have the Travel Bug (and Others Don't)
What psychology tells us about wanderlust, curiosity, and why some people can't stop dreaming about their next adventure.
Some people dream of exploring ancient cities, tasting unfamiliar foods, and visiting every continent. Others are perfectly happy returning to the same favorite beach every summer, or staying home and enjoying the house they’re still paying for.
And then there are people like me, whose travel bucket lists grow considerably faster than their vacation budgets.
The D5 Five: 5 Reasons Some Hotels Stay With Us Long After Checkout
Why some hotel stays become unforgettable—and what psychology tells us about the memories we bring home.
We've stayed in a lot of hotels over the years. Some were luxurious, some were practical, and some were simply a place to collapse after a long day of sightseeing. But when I recently asked my three kids which hotels they remembered most, their answers surprised me.
How to Choose a Cruise When the Destination Matters as Much as the Ship
Because the best cruise isn’t necessarily on the biggest ship. It’s the one that takes you where you actually want to go.
The first time we booked a cruise, I knew approximately nothing about cruising.
We were traveling with friends who cruised regularly, so we did what any sensible first-timers would do: we followed them.
In March 2018, our family of five, my mom and another family—complete with their own set of grandparents—boarded Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas for a seven-night Caribbean cruise. Our itinerary included Key West, Cozumel, Costa Maya and Belize.
I didn’t research ship classes. I didn’t compare restaurant counts or study deck plans. I’m not sure I even knew those were things people researched.
Alaska by Land or Sea? What I Wish I Knew Before Booking Our Cruise
We took a seven-day cruise to Alaska. We spent less than 24 hours with our feet actually on the ground in Alaska.
Somehow, those two facts had never really connected in my brain before we went.
When you book a seven-day Alaska cruise, it feels like you’re booking a week in Alaska. And a week sounds like plenty of time to see the highlights, right?
Except a seven-day Alaska cruise isn’t seven days in Alaska. It’s seven days traveling by ship, with a few relatively short windows to actually get off and experience it.
The D5 Five: 5 Travel Mistakes I Learned the Hard Way
I’ve been traveling for years—first as a couple, then with three kids in tow, and now with those kids becoming my adult travel companions. You might think all that experience means I’ve figured out how to travel without making mistakes.
It does not.
Some lessons have cost us money. Some have caused a lot of unnecessary stress. One nearly derailed a much-anticipated international trip before it even started. And apparently, a few needed to happen more than once before I got the message.
The good news? You don’t have to learn all of them the hard way.
Here are five travel mistakes I’ve made—and what I do differently now.
Why We Crave Cozy in the Fall
In My House, Fall Starts September 1.
September 1 arrives and I'm ready. Pumpkin-spice coffee. Chocolate-chip pumpkin bread. Pumpkin scones. Pumpkin butter. You get the idea.
Then come the other signs of the season: amber and cardamom candles, hot apple cider, mulled wine, Oktoberfest celebrations, cooler evenings, bonfires and cozy flannel blankets.
The house gets its seasonal makeover, too: burnt orange, golden yellow and rust-colored décor, faux fall wreaths and garlands, walnut accents, pumpkins and gourds, and an array of mums for the front porch.
The D5 Five: 5 Trips to Take With Your Kids Before They Leave Home
Nobody tells you that family vacations have an expiration date.
Not the trips themselves, of course. But the years when you can pick a week, book five plane tickets, and reasonably expect all five members of your family to show up.
Now my daughter is in medical school, my oldest son is in college, and my youngest is a senior in high school with a schedule that requires the logistical skills of an air traffic controller. Getting all five of us in the same place at the same time has become considerably harder than getting all five of us through airport security.
These days, I look back at the trips we took when they were younger with a new appreciation. At the time, they were vacations. Now they feel like little markers of our family history.
The D5 Five: 5 U.S. Destinations That Are Even Better in the Fall
Some trips are simply better with a sweater.
Think brilliant New England foliage against a rocky coastline. Apple cider donuts after picking apples in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ghost stories after dark in New Orleans. A train winding through the Smokies. Or hundreds of hot-air balloons rising over the New Mexico desert.
How to Overcome Flying Anxiety
Travel anxiety is more common than most people realize. If the thought of boarding a plane makes your heart race, your palms sweat, or your mind spiral into worst-case scenarios, you are not weak — you are human.
Flying anxiety can look different for everyone. For some, it’s fear of turbulence or mechanical failure. For others, it’s claustrophobia, loss of control, or even fear of embarrassment. The intensity can range from mild unease to full-blown panic attacks.
Why Even Loving Couples Fight on Vacation
You love each other. You were excited for this trip. So why are you arguing in the rental car about the GPS voice?
Vacation was supposed to bring you closer. Instead, you’re mildly irritated before you’ve even checked in. Somewhere between baggage claim and “I thought you said turn left,” you find yourself wondering, What is wrong with us?
If you’ve ever fought on vacation and worried your relationship is secretly unraveling over sunscreen and restaurant reservations, let me reassure you: nothing is wrong. This is normal. This is psychological. And most importantly, this is predictable.
The Myth of the Perfect Trip (& Why We Keep Chasing It)
Look—I get it. We don’t pull travel inspiration out of thin air. We get it from beautifully curated sources: travel books, blogs, journalists, influencers, hotel marketing, and, of course, social media. What we’re shown is the highlight-reel version of a trip. Perfect weather. Lovely accommodations. On-time flights. Smiling families. Children who appear to have never argued over snacks or legroom.
But here’s the reality: that version of travel isn’t real life. It’s an idealized, carefully edited simulation of it. Real trips include rainy days, traffic jams, delayed or canceled flights, closed attractions, and very ordinary, very human travel companions.
Why Some Trips Feel Healing — and Others Leave You Feeling Exhausted
Ever get back from a trip and feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? Guilty — and it took me years of traveling to understand why.
Ultimate Summer Vacation Packing List for Every Traveler
Summer travel has taught me one consistent lesson: the best trips aren’t the ones with the most stuff—they’re the ones packed with intention.
Choosing Travel Based on Your Emotional Season
How to plan trips that support how you actually feel—not how you think you should feel
We tend to plan travel around logistics: time off, flight prices, school calendars, bucket lists. What we rarely ask—before clicking “book now”—is a much simpler question:
How am I actually feeling right now?
What Travel Does for Your Nervous System
As a clinical psychologist, I’m careful with language around “healing” and “therapy.” Travel is not therapy. It doesn’t replace mental health treatment, and it doesn’t magically resolve anxiety, burnout, or emotional pain.
And yet—anyone who has ever exhaled a little deeper the moment they arrived somewhere new knows there’s something real happening.
Ultimate Summer Packing List for Families Traveling With Teenagers
If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s pack for family travel — especially in the summer. We’ve been traveling with our kids for over 20 years, through just about every environment you can imagine. From sun-soaked beaches and state parks to theme parks, Roman ruins, volcanic landscapes, and the snowy Alps. From glaciers in Alaska to cobblestone cities in Europe. From road trips to cruises to flights that started before sunrise and ended well past bedtime.
Along the way, we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) what actually gets worn, what never leaves the suitcase, and what can make or break a trip when you’re traveling with teenagers. Packing isn’t about having more — it’s about having the right things.
This is our Ultimate Summer Packing List for Families Traveling With Teenagers — built from real trips, real kids, real weather, and real walking-heavy days. It’s designed to work whether you’re heading to the beach, a big city, a national park, a theme park, or somewhere in between.
The Best Places to Spend New Year’s With Teenagers (That They’ll Actually Love)
Traveling with teenagers isn’t just different from traveling with little kids — it’s an entirely different season of family life. Our daughter Callan is now 21, our son Jake is 19, and Max is 16, and somewhere along the way we realized that the trips that worked beautifully when they were younger no longer fit who they are now.
They want independence, adrenaline, food that feels intentional, and experiences that don’t feel designed for kids. They want late nights — but not forced ones. Energy — but with an exit plan. And when it comes to New Year’s Eve, they want it to feel like a real celebration, not something they’re tagging along to.
Over the years, five destinations have consistently risen to the top for us. Not because they’re flashy, but because they allow New Year’s Eve — and the days around it — to unfold naturally with teenagers and young adults.
Traveling the Week of Christmas: What Families Really Want to Know (From a Family Who’s Done It)
Traveling during the week of Christmas can feel intimidating. Airports are crowded, prices can be higher, and traditions look a little different. But for our family, Christmas travel has become one of our favorite ways to celebrate the season.
We’ve learned that the secret is choosing destinations that fully embrace the holidays and offer a mix of adventure, charm, and downtime.
When to Visit the Christmas Markets in France (and What I’d Do Differently Next Time)
If you’ve ever fallen down a Christmas market rabbit hole on Pinterest or Instagram, you already know: France in December looks like something straight out of a snow globe. Twinkling lights, garlands wrapped around half-timbered buildings, mulled wine steaming in ceramic mugs, and enough ornaments to convince you that yes, you absolutely do need another one.
🎄✨ Our Christmas Tree of Memories (And Why You Should Start One Too)
Before Bryan and I ever had kids, we started collecting ornaments from every destination we visited. We even picked up ornaments for big milestones — our wedding anniversary, our first home, the birth of each baby. (Nothing says “new parents” like a tiny glass onesie dangling from a branch.)
But once the kids came along? The ornament collection became a full-blown scavenger hunt in every new city. The kids got to help choose something that embraced the spirit of that trip — which is how we once came home with a London phone booth, a Venetian mask, and a tiny moose wearing sunglasses.
Now that our kids are teenagers and young adults, we have so many ornaments and so many stories — and Christmas decorating has turned into a full-on storytelling event. Here’s how it works: We each grab an ornament, one at a time, and share a memory from that trip before hanging it on the tree. It’s like speed-dating our own travel history.
And the stories? They do not disappoint.